Street Lighting Allegedly Causes Fatal Accident

This case takes place in Pennsylvania and involves an accident that allegedly occurred as a result of improper roadway lighting. The plaintiff was a young girl who was riding her bike through a crosswalk at the time of the accident. The weather on the night of the accident was clear, and there were no other limitations on the driver’s visibility. While the plaintiff was in the crosswalk, a car approached while traveling at the posted speed limit. Allegedly, the driver was blinded by a bright flash of light and was not able to see a thing as she approached crosswalk. She hit the plaintiff with her car, causing serious injury to the plaintiff. There was a construction site on the side of the road near the accident, which had several generator-powered flood lights set up to illuminate the site. It is alleged that this light was not up to code and was not directed/situated correctly to provide the proper lighting.

Question(s) For Expert Witness

1. Do you have extensive experience designing/installing and ensuring roadway lighting is safe and installed with safety as a priority?

2. What steps/tests should be taken to ensure street lights are correctly aimed and not distract drivers?

3. Please explain your experience working on similar cases?

Expert Witness Response E-009084

As a civil engineer, I have extensive experience in designing highway, roadway and parking lot lighting. Depending on the lighting fixture, the installation of shields (light cut-offs) can be installed so that the light is concentrated downward and not outward. While at Bohler Engineering, I was the project manager responsible for the preparation of civil engineering and highway design plans for land development projects including residential, commercial, and industrial projects. This included the preparation of roadway design and construction drawings very relevant to this case. At Fleisher Forensics, I was the civil engineer responsible for evaluating matters involving traffic engineering, including intersection; urban and rural roadways; interstate highways; parking lots; signage, and lighting. I continue to perform roadway design and analysis, and I have been involved in multiple roadway lighting cases, a few of which have also involved fatalities.